Simply Weird

AuthorHouse

Contents

Chapter 1: Pulps and the precursors to the peculiar history of Weird Comics Inc.....................................................................1Chapter 2: The Birth of Weird Comics Inc. and its rise to prominence................................................................................7Chapter 3: WCI survives being at the brink and then feels the Wrath of Wertham and the comic code and then Rises from the Ashes.....................19Chapter 4: Superheroes come back in style at WCI....................................................................................................31Chapter 5: Always Expanding and Always Reshuffling, Always..........................................................................................47Chapter 6: The Big Ole' Eighties....................................................................................................................63Chapter 7: On its last legs and beyond..............................................................................................................73Chapter Notes on Interviews.........................................................................................................................89Review of the Book by Reginald Summerset III........................................................................................................90Author's reaction to Reginald Summerset III's Review................................................................................................94Reginald Summerset III's reaction to Mr. Webb's Reaction............................................................................................96Mr. Webb's Last Reaction............................................................................................................................97

Chapter One

Weird Comics Inc. has a fairly peculiar history and its beginnings come from an odd series of events. To truly appreciate its formation one must look at a time before its creation/formation. One must look back at the career of Waldo Richard Winecrest II, whose publishing company Industrial Pulps was the parent company of Weird Comics Incorporated.

Waldo was born in London, England and not much else is known about his life before moving to the United States. Even family Members didn't really know when he was even born. Waldo Richards Winecrest IV (or Dicky Winecrest as he is most commonly known as) once said to me that he had, "asked my father when my grandfather was born. He then shrugged and told me he had no clue. Obviously I was pretty shocked to hear that."

The only bit of information that is known about Waldo is that during his years in London he worked at a company that published Penny Dreadfuls. It is said that Waldo wanted a change of scenery and wanted to jump into the blossoming American Pulp Market. So according to Elis Island records Waldo reached America's shores on the date of June 2nd 1924.

Some of Waldo's early dealings in New York are as much in the shadows as his days in London. Seemingly overnight Waldo formed Industrial Pulps which happened to published several pulp magazines in several genres. There were such titles as the Hard Boiled magazine "Private Dicks", the Science Fiction magazine "Tales of Uranus" and a horror magazine "The Gapping Horror" just to name a few.

Many happened to be puzzled with the fact that Winecrest a British immigrant could make such a quick and swift ascent into the business of Pulp magazines. This has led to much speculation and rumors. Many (then and now) hypothesized that the mob may have had some involvement with helping Waldo get the money needed to quickly expand Industrial Pulps. The thing though is that there is no solid evidence either way.

Dicky Winecrest's own take is that his grandfather must have, "gotten some money through an inheritance or something. I really doubt my grandfather was involved with the mob."

Never the less Waldo was riding high off of the success of Industrial Pulps and was seen as a very eligible bachelor at the time. He became legendary for his womanizing but he would soon settle down and leave his tomcat days behind him focusing mostly on business.

On July 7th 1925 Waldo would become a family man when he married a woman named Jane Dodson whom he had met through mutual friends. Their first and only child was born on January 14th 1926 named Waldo Richard Winecrest III (who was referred to as Richard by everyone he had known except Waldo). Waldo was somewhat disappointed in Richard as a son to say the least. Waldo would often refer to Richard as "That Git".

Commenting on the relationship between his father and grandfather Dicky Winecrest has said, "Sadly my Grandfather saw my father as some sort of disappointment. I never understood why and neither did my father. It was just a very bizarre relationship.

"My Grandfather once said that his disappointment in my father led to him deciding to not have any other children because of how much a disappointment my father was to him.

"I guess the fact my dad wasn't an athletic type of person didn't help since my Grandfather did want an athletic son. It also didn't help that my father would misunderstand some of the British colloquialisms that my Grandfather would use.

"Besides that there was also the fact that my father was an eccentric child who grew up into a very eccentric man. Now that I think about it those are probably some of the reasons my Grandfather was disappointed. Still those are pretty stupid reasons to hate your own son."

A few of the eccentricities that Richard would express during his childhood included (but not limited to) running around the house wearing his mother's bonnet, pacing in his room in a circle for hours while talking to himself and the fact that he demanded that cheese not be in his presence. These would usually anger his father who would stew in silence about his son's unusual behavior.

Most of these mentioned eccentricities would fall by the waist side over time while other eccentricities would take their place. One eccentricity from childhood that would follow Richard into adulthood would be pacing and talking to himself. He'd use as a method to come up with comic book stories as an adult.

While growing up Richard was an avid reader of Pulp Magazines including many that were published by his own father. Richard also happened to appreciate what would be considered more cultured reading. Along with his beloved Pulps he would read the likes of William Faulkner, Nikolai Gogol, James Joyce, Franz Kafka, Andre Breton, Albert Camus and Charles Maturin. Still his favorite author was Pulp writer H.P. Lovecraft. In Richard's eyes there was no high art and not low art, there was just the act of expression.

Richard also started reading newspaper comic strips around the age of twelve. The blend of the visual with the written word fascinated Richard. He was particularly fond of Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon and George Herriman's Krazy Kat.

During this time a new medium would come to the forefront. A medium that combined two of Richard's loves Pulp Magazines and newspaper comic strips. Of course this new medium would be called the comic book. With this new medium called comic books came a new sort of hero along with it. It would lead to the birth of the superhero....